Cleaning Up After Others

Twice recently, I and a crew have cleaned up after someone else. They just abandoned the property and left behind whatever they didn’t want, need, or took time to throw in a trash can. The first house took a 16 foot trailer of furniture and a pickup load of clothes thrown around the house to the landfill. The second house measured about the same amount of trash, but not quite so many rat droppings. Oh, and I forgot the load of old tires that the landfill charges three dollars apiece to dispose of. We couldn’t wait to take a shower as soon as we finished.

I guess I could be generous and say maybe they didn’t have a trailer or help loading it, but I think they could have gotten rid of unwanted stuff a little at a time, even if it meant taking a small bag in their car to a dumpster. What I really think, however, is that they were lazy, unorganized, and had some bad habits. They certainly didn’t maintain the houses very well. And they complain that they can’t find good housing at a decent price.

I have found there are two categories of housing for rent. The reasonably priced, and the upper-scale rentals that cost double the price of the first. I have always liked offering a moderately priced house, make a decent profit from it, and give someone a good place to live. Maybe not a palace, but clean, nicely painted, and sound. But recently, I have been spending more money to get the value up in the upper-scale category because I am tired of repairing trashed housing. Tired of cleaning up their messes with gloves and charcoal-filtered masks.

When I take a good look at life, I see people who manage their hearts and personalities much the same way. They don’t clean their minds and hearts, forgive others, or create good habits. It makes me sad, for their sake and for the sake of others around them. I want to wear my gloves and mask around the worse offenders, lest their vulgar language and negative disposition make me want to go take a shower.

But what can I say? I believe I am supposed to see them through God’s perspective: with love for the valuable creation they are in His sight. I’m just tired, and I still have a trailer load of motorcycle parts that I dug out of a backyard’s weeds sitting in my driveway until I can take them away tomorrow.